Building blocks



Jan. 31, 1933. J. H. DOAK BUILDING BLOCKS Filed May 4, 1931 M17 4 v T. \A

Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE worm H. norm, or sEA's'InE, OREGON BUILDING BLOCKS Application med May 4, 1931-. Serial No. 534,918.

My invention is intended for building shown with reference to the drawing which blocks and as educational blocks and as toys. accompany and form a part of this specifica- Heretofore building blocks and toy blocks tion. have been made of wood, metal, or other In the drawing:

rigid material and through the use of such Fig. 1 is a front view of astructure that 5 material children hurt themselves and dammay be made from my new and improved age floors, table and other structures upon blocks. The structure illustrated in Fig. 1 which the same are to be used. is supported upon a horizontal support.

In the use of building blocks now in com- Fig. 2- is a side view of a structure built men use, the same are left upon floors and from my new and improved blocks illustrat when so left children and adults are subed as being secured to and supported upon ject to damage through falling, upon, or a vertical surface. stumbling over the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective side view of one'of In the building blocks heretofore used my new and improved blocks. 7 I

there was no way by which structures could Fig. 4 is a perspective end view of one of be built by the application. of the block the fastening cylinders adapted for securmembers to walls, or other vertical meming adjacent blocks together. bers, or supported from ceilings. Fig. 5' is a sectional side view ofa pair of Through the use of my new and improved blocks illustrated as being secured together blocks the same may be secured by the vacuby the cylindrical member, illustrated in 70 um cup, to any supporting structure and be Fig. 4.. v. built outward or downward therefrom. Fig. 6 is a perspective end View of a half My new and improved block is comprised section of a cubical block. v of a hollow cubical member having a plu- Fig. 7 is asectional end view of a half rality of cylindrical recesses disposed upon section of a cubical block. 5 some of the faces of the blocks and vacuum Fig. 8 is a perspective top side view of a cups disposed in certain other faces of the pair of half section blocks as illustrated in blocks. Figs. 6 and 7 secured together by acommon Cylindrical members are adapted for being fastener of the type illustrated in Fig. 4.

3O placed within certain of the recesses of ad- Like reference characters refer to like parts jacent faces so that structures may be created throughout the several views. by the securing of the blocks together. My building unit 1 is preferably made of Live rubber is used to afford greatest resillive rubber. A void 2 comprises the major iency to the blocks and to permit of maXiportion of the block unit. Relatively thin 5 mum utility. walls 3 produce a light inexpensive block 3 One of the objects of my invention is to and gives the block its greatest utility. Be-

provide a building block that may be used cesses 4, preferably made cylindrical are disby children and through the use of which posed in the oppositely disposed faces of v the child, or user may not be hurt. some of the sides, of the blocks. A cylinder A still further object of my invention con- 5 is adapted for being placed within the resists in providing a building block that is ces'ses 4. The cylinder 5 being substantially light in weight, that may be expanded into twice the length of the depth of the recesses various structures and that may be used as 4, in order that the cylinder may be used in educational, as well as building blocks. the fastening of the blocks together. When With these and incidental objects in view, som'ade the meeting faces 6 and 7 of the the invention consists in certain novel feablocks, when secured together, by the cylin- T tures of construction and combination of der, will closely engage each ;other.,The diparts, the essential elements of which are set ameter of the cylinder 5. should bemade forth in the appended claims, and a'preferred slightly larger than the diameterof the re- "5 form of embodiment of which is hereinafter cess 4 in order that a gripping connection may be created between the cylinder 5 and the recess 4.

Recesses 8 are formed in other faces of the blocks which may form a vacuum cup when the blocks are fixedly and forcibly engaged against each other, or against a supporting wall, or other surface, or ceiling.

I have illustrated in Fig. 2, a plurality of blocks 9 and 10 as being secured to a vertical wall 11 and a structure built outward from the wall through the use of the vacuum cup connection.

Indicia 12 may be formed within the vacuum cup faces, or within the recesses 4 and indicia 13 may be placed within all, or some of the ends of the cylinder 5. Instead of using indicia upon, or within some of the recesses, animals, or other configuration may i be formed therein.

In order to give greater construction possibilities to my new and improved block, I may desire to make some of the blocks as illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, and when so made the blocks are made in half section of the cube with a diagonal cut 14 being made through the block at its longest diameter to form two half section blocks 15 and 16. The cylindrical recess being formed within the long face 17 of the block. This greatly increases the construction possibilities of the assembly without departing from the spirit of the invention. 7

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein shown and described, as it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, all coming 40 within the scope of the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. In educational and amusement devices of the class described formed of a plurality of blocks, a resilient block having recesses formed within some of the faces of the block, said recesses being in corresponding positions in each block, a compressible engaging element whose uncompressed diameter is slightly greater than the diameter of the recesses adapted to be disposed within the recesses of other blocks, and a recess disposed in one of the remaining faces of the block adapted to maintain the block fixedly disposed relative to a supporting surface.

2. In educational and amusement blocks of the class described comprising a plurality of cubical blocks, a resilient block having cylindrical recesses disposed within some of its faces, a cylinder-adapted to intimately engage within the recesses of the similar blocks,'and a recess disposed within one of the faces of the block adapted to maintain it in a fixed position relative to a supporting surface.

3. In educational and amusement devices of the class described, comprising a plurality of polyhedral blocks, a resilient block having cylindrical recesses disposed within some of its faces, a recess disposed within one of the faces of each one of the blocks, said recess adapted to hold the block fixed relative to a supporting surface, and means formed integral with the block for detachably attaching the block to a similar block, said means adapted to intimately engage within the recesses.

4:. In educational and amusement devices of the class described, comprising a plurality of resilient polyhedral blocks, a resilient block having a plurality of cylindrical recesses disposed within its faces, and a plurality of resilient cylinders adapted to intimately engage within the recesses of a like block, said recesses also adapted to aid in the detachably attaching of the block to a supporting surface.

5. In educational and amusement devices of the class described, a block of resilient material to be used in a set of similar blocks, circular recesses disposed within some of the faces of the block, circular projecting lugs, of greaterdiameter than the recesses, dis posed upon other of the faces of the block, and adapted to engage within the recesses of other blocks of the set, any recess when not occupied by a lug adapted to act as a vacuum cup in maintaining the block upon a surface other than horizontal. Y

JOHN H. DOAK. 

